Friday, May 28, 2010

Rick Ross: From Being Humiliated to Being a Mixtape King





I will be reviewing Rick Ross’ The Albert Anastasia EP mixtape for this post.



Listen to or download the mixtape here

Background Information:

  • Birth name: William Leonard Roberts II
  • Birthplace: Carol City, Florida
  • Influences: Sam Cooke, Ohio Players, Lenny Williams, Johnnie Taylor, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Big Daddy Kane, and Ice Cube
  • How long has he been doing music: The mid-90s
  • Type of Artist: Mainstream
  • Genre(s): Rap
  • Current Label(s): Maybach Music Group/Def Jam
  • Similar Artists: Young Jeezy, Triple C’s, Birdman, Ace Hood, DJ Khaled
  • Fun fact:  He took his stage name from “Freeway” Ricky Ross, the drug trafficker.
           William Leonard Roberts II was born on January 28, 1976 in Carol City, Florida. Him and a few others started the rap group Carol City Cartel and began rapping in the mid-90s. He was later signed to the former label of 8Ball & MJG, Suave House Records. Next he signed to trick rapper Trick Daddy’s label, Slip- N- Slide Records, which also falls under Def Jam. Rick Ross recently created his own label entitle Maybach Music Group. He has since released three albums Port of Miami (2006), Trilla (2008), and Deeper than Rap (2009). This mixtape is named after gangster named Albert Anastasia.

Introduction:
Rick Ross is a Mixtape King because he personifies the thug mentality. He was exposed by 50 Cent as being a former police officer; yet, if you know like I know; good cops can turn into bad cops. I do not know whether Rick Ross was truly a hustler or not, but through his words he sounds like he has experience in being a thug. Rick Ross has gone from being humiliated to being a Mixtape King.

Favorite Line: Fire Hazard- “Never Hollywood, even though I got it good” There were no lyrics posted for this song.

Top 3 Tracks: (This list is ordered from the song I like most to the song I like least.)
  1. Blowin Money Fast (B.M.F.)- The first thing I thought when I heard this song was I wish it was edited and on a CD so I can play it on the campus radio station. My next thought was that it was the perfect blend between smooth and hard-hitting elements. I didn’t want this song to end because Rick Ross and Styles P delivered some magnificent lyrics. http://www.musikizme.com/rick-ross-blowing-money-fast-lyrics/
  2. Fire Hazard- This song’s title does it justice because it is certifiably ON FIRE.  This song sounds as if it should be the theme music for something. More specifically, Rick Ross rapped as if Fire Hazard was the theme to his life. http://hulkshare.com/6owmbptxencu
  3. Super High- This instrumental seems really familiar, and it has a positive effect on the lyrics. Rick Ross delivers a good verse and everything Ne-Yo touches, including this song, turns to gold. So, the combination of the two artists makes this song worth listening to. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zrw9NOHvgPI&feature=related
Bottom 3 Tracks: (This list is ordered from the song I dislike most to the song I dislike least.)
  1. White Sand, Part II- I don’t like the concept of the song which is based on crack cocaine. Featured artists Triple C’s made the song sound elementary. In accordance, the instrumental was too basic.  http://slumz.boxden.com/f87/new-crack-rick-ross-knife-fight-feat-kool-g-rap-produced-dj-premier-1376985/
  2. All I Need- Once again momentum kills a song. The song started with a sample from the Notorious B.I.G. and was followed by a statement by Jadakiss. Rick Ross and Birdman rapped good verses; I was expecting the song to end with a bang. Kool G Rap anchored the song, and just like running or swimming the anchor should be one of the best; Kool G Rap was definitely the worse person on this song. There were no videos posted for this song.
  3. Sweet Life- The song started off with John Legend singing, and that took away from the momentum of the previous song. I am not a fan of fast tracks sandwiching slow tracks on a music project. Rick Ross delivered good lyrics, but I would have liked this song more if it was placed somewhere else on the mixtape. There were no videos posted for this song.
Overview:
I recommend The Albert Anastasia EP mixtape to people that like money. Also, if you are on a mission to accomplish this mixtape would be just right for you. I did not expect Rick Ross’ lyrics to still be hustler related after his beef with 50 Cent. I listened to this mixtape out of curiosity. Being curious left me feeling like 50 thought he killed Rick Ross’ career, but in the words of Drake “It’s far from over.”

Other Rick Ross Related Links:





2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rick Ross sounds familiar, like I've heard him before. It's something that he was exposed by 50 Cent and that the two had a beef. One wonders if these two will ever be in a heated competition or if they're in one already.

Rcollier029 said...

Yeah 50 Cent tends to go a little too deep with the beefs. I think competition started the beef. I do not like 50 cent and I feel as if he just uses beef as a means of keeping him in the rap industry.

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